


Blood of the Immortal

by SakuraMinamino



Category: Original Work
Genre: Demons, F/M, Ghouls, Gods, Hunters, Japanese Culture, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2020-04-19 16:23:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19136347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraMinamino/pseuds/SakuraMinamino
Summary: Takeda, Kaito is a delinquent. At least that's what everyone makes him out to be. All Kaito can do is take everything one step at a time. Taking on a dare to enter an abandoned mansion, he finds out that the mansion is not so abandoned after all. Finding yet another situation out of his control, Kaito finds himself relying on the mansion's owner. With Kaito's past coming to haunt him, and people close to him revealing that they weren't who he thought he was, Kaito must navigate this new world he was thrown into and survive.Himura Ryunosuke has been searching for vengeance for the past century. Being so close for the first time since his search began, he never expected to be distracted by a human he decided to turn on a whim. Normally, he would have disposed of anyone who brought him as much trouble as Kaito did, but he can't help but be intrigued by the human he has taken under his wing. As his interest continues to grow, Ryunosuke begins to realize that if he wants to keep Kaito, he may have to give up more than he had bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is the original version of a fanfiction I was writing with the same title. It is a part of a series I had been working on since high school. This story and the next actually run parallel to each other. I had planned on trying to publish it, but I had lost confidence in trying to publish original works. People seemed more interested in Romance/Erotica or Young Adult angst/dystopian societies. And with vampires kind of losing face thanks to Twilight, it doesn't appear this story was going to see the light of day. If this story does semi-well here, by Ch. 7, I will start posting the parallel story that runs alongside this one.

Kaito plopped down onto one of the soft, brown, leather sofas in the principal's office, kicking up his feet onto the wooden coffee table in front of him, knowing full well how much it would annoy her. Really, he shouldn’t even be here for such a small offense. It was far from the first time he played a prank on his science teacher, Yamada Yoshiro− who should have expected them on a daily basis at this point. It wasn't his fault the teacher kept falling for it each time.

The office was on the large and extravagant side. The walls were painted beige and the wood flooring was covered by a large, plush, cream rug that brightened up the room─ not that the room needed any help brightening up. Behind the desk was a large set of bay windows, framed by white lace curtains. On either side of the desk were large bookshelves embedded into the wall, filled with books of all shapes and sizes, neatly placed in alphabetical order and separated by first by language then subject.

Kaito currently sat in the sitting area of the office, reserved for guests, where they would be greeted and served tea, and not for troublemaking students. Rather than impatiently stand in front of the imported mahogany desk, Kaito took his chances with the sofa. He had snuck in more than once to take a nap here. It was much more comfortable than the school infirmary’s bed.

Other than the books tossed about on the desk full of bookmarks, the office was spotless, showing the principal's need for perfection and strive for order. There were no trinkets or anything that would be considered personal with the exception of a single photograph on the desk and a nameplate. It always made waiting a pain as there was nothing of interest to look at. If he so much as touched the principal's book collection, he would undoubtedly find his hand missing a moment later.

The door to the office opened, and Kaito tilted his head to glance lazily at the woman who entered with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Baa-chan." The woman sent him a sharp glare, her lips pulling back into a scowl. "Don't 'Baa-chan' me, Kaito. Don't you feel any shame for what you've done."

Kaito shrugged, looking away from his godmother. "Not really. He's not that great of a teacher." Lifting his hips, he dug out a cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips. "I'm doing the class a favor."

The woman's glare intensified at the offending material, marching over and snatching it away from his lips and crushing it in her hand. Kaito sighed, turning his gaze to her hand then back to her. She was a beautiful woman. Despite being in her mid-fifties, there wasn't a wrinkle in sight, and her cropped short hair was a perfect light brown without a single strand of gray. It was easy to mistake her for a woman 30 years younger.

Unfortunately, she had a temper that proved the American stereotypes right and often scared the students into submission. "Really, Baa-chan?"

"You're underage," she scolded, "and smoking is bad for your health."

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed, rubbing his hand through his blond locks. "Can I go now? It's almost lunch."

"Kaito," she nearly growled.

"Look," he sighed, "it wasn't even that bad. I just strung him up by his ankle with invisible wire."

"That's exactly the problem!" she yelled. Realizing her mistake, she took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, leaning against the desk. The desk creaked softly under her weight, sounding as if it was sighing with her. "You're not a ninja Kaito, and that prank could have seriously hurt him. Most students would be expelled by now."

"No one got hurt, Baa-chan. It's just a little prank."

Kaito could see a vein popping out on the woman's forehead; she was trying, and ultimately failing, to keep her composure. Exhaling rather loudly, she walked over to him, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, and squatted in front of him, so they could meet eye to eye. "Kaito," she said, gentle and warm, "you can't keep acting out like this. Kenji wouldn't want-"

"You don't know what he would have wanted. He's not here, is he?" The playful glint Kaito had present in his eyes since seeing her had turned steely.

Sadness crept into her hazel eyes as well as sympathy, but it didn't diminish the disappointment and anger she held towards him for his behavior. The muscles in her arm ticked as she clenched her fists, barely restraining her anger─ a common occurrence whenever he was in the room it seemed. "I will let you off with a warning, Kaito," she stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of her gray skirt. "But do it again, and you're out for good." Kaito's grin returned with a vengeance, spreading across his lips as if it had never left, beaming brightly. Jumping up to his feet, he was eager to leave. "Thanks, Baa-chan, see you at dinner."

"Tell that perverted old man to clean up once in a while!" The comment was cut off as the heavy door closed behind him, chuckling at her behavior. If she just admitted she liked his godfather, they could stop the 'coming by once a week to check up on things' charade they insisted on keeping up, yet her stubbornness about the entire situation made it all the more entertaining.

He turned to head toward the cafeteria, intending to get a head start on the rush when he bumped into someone. She must have been running because he stumbled back, and a girl fell to the floor, her blue plaid, uniform skirt, blew up until she hurriedly pulled it down. "Watch where you're goi--" then her dark brown eyes widened in realization when she noticed him, "Oh, Kaito-kun," her voice turned overly sweet. "I didn't see you there."

He winced inwardly at her tone, but still smiled at her and extended a hand to help her up. "Atsuko-chan, you should be more careful." Atsuko was his girlfriend, or at least in name. She was of average height and had chin-length black hair with a pink highlight. A lot of boys at the school thought she was beautiful with her pale skin and big, dark brown eyes, giving her the appearance of many current pop stars. Because of that, she had a reputation; one he was kind of hoping was true.

She took his hand, and he helped her up. Her grip was stronger than one would expect of her thin build. "Sorry. I was just... Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yeah of course," he responded automatically, not quite remembering what he had promised. Thankfully, she didn't ask for any details, and quickly excused herself, walking around him and into the principal's office.

The lunch bell rang.

Students poured into the halls, switching classrooms, heading to the school store/cafeteria or just taking a walk to stretch their legs during the lunch hour, but they all kept their distance, going out of their way to leave a large bubble of empty space, to avoid him.

Hakuei High School was a private institution with an insanely difficult entrance exam. Despite its elite classes and high tuition, the school itself was relatively down to earth. The buildings, while new, were modest with only the necessities needed to succeed. The rich students couldn't use their money and influence, forced to do club activities, sports, and study just like everyone else. Everyone wore the uniform and followed the rules set by the principal/chairman, Krista Breeding.

And then there was Kaito's class. It was full of foreigners and oddballs, people like Kaito and his friends who didn't quite fit in with everyone else. And it wasn't just the students of Year 3 Class E either. The teachers were just as peculiar. As a result, the majority of the normal students stayed away from them and put in the extra effort to stay away from him in particular. His reputation preceded him, and no right-minded individual would risk associating with an orphan of a low class who caused trouble on a daily basis. So, they avoided him as if just a single touch would contaminate them. But he was used to this behavior. After all, he was Takeda, Kaito.

Everyone on the island knew that name.

"Well if it isn't, Cherry-kun."

Kaito fought the urge to bang his head against the window, hearing the familiar voice behind him. "Stop calling me that," he snapped, turning to the boy who had given him the embarrassing nickname.

The boy was tall and lanky with thin black hair that seemed kind of oily. Takumi was the recluse artist type that skipped class often to hide in the art room to paint. As such, his skin looked like he hadn't seen sunlight in the past ten years, but that wasn't what threw most people off. He always kept an even, almost calming tone, a sharp contrast to his often provoking words. For some reason, ever since Takumi found out that Kaito was a virgin, he had taken to calling him "Cherry-kun", and no matter how hard Kaito tried, he could not get Takumi to stop.

Takumi tilted his head to the side. He had taken off his uniform's blazer, and the white shirt beneath was stained with splotches of black ink.

"Have you gotten laid?" he asked.

"No, I'm still a virgin. With my luck, I'll probably stay a virgin, but just stop calling me that!" Without realizing it, Kaito; voice gradually rose with his annoyance, gaining the attention of everyone in the hallway who had gone silent.

Kaito's cheeks grew red with embarrassment when the students began to whisper and gossip to one another, stealing glances at him.

"I can't say that I'm surprised, Takeda. People have standards after all." The new voice had Kaito cursing his luck. He had just come from Krista's office. He really couldn't afford to go back.

The newcomer was different from Takumi by the fact that he had an aura of someone well off. Immaculately groomed, his mid-back length, dark brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail, tall, perfect posture, and holding unwavering confidence, he was the school's heartthrob. 

He was also a year older than the rest of the class having been held back a year. No one knew why. He had been top of his class that year, so it was a shock when he was not allowed to graduate with his peers and forced to repeat the year just weeks prior to the ceremony. Since the incident, the amount of harassment increased, much to Kaito's dismay.

"Piss off, Nijima," Kaito said wearily, bumping his forehead lightly against the window with a dull thud. "I really don't want to kill you today."

Nijima raised an eyebrow condescendingly. "Is it safe for you to make threats like that, Takeda?"

Kaito glared, his fists clenching at his sides until they drew blood. He wouldn't be held responsible for what happened next if Nijima Yuji decided to go where he thought he was going.

"After all," Nijima continued, "you're still under suspicion for killing your father, aren't you?"

The next thing Nijima knew, he was grabbed by his throat and slammed against the hallway windows, causing them to shake from the force. "Watch what you say Nijima,” he growled softly, “because it might be your last."

Fear crept into Nijima's eyes before it was hastily suppressed. It was like this every time. Nijima would push Kaito over the edge, and Kaito would snap. No matter how much he expected it, Nijima would know what buttons to push and when. He could not stop himself from rising to the bait nor stop himself from tightening his hands around the older boy's throat.

"Takeda," a familiar hand touched Kaito's shoulder, causing Kaito's shoulder to tense, but the hand didn't try to pull him away from strangling the boy. "Let him go."

The gentle words pulled Kaito away from his anger enough to respond in a low growl. "Akira, he─"

"I know." In the corner of his eye, Kaito could see Akira's dark, almost maroon, red hair and piercing brown eyes staring at him. "But settle it off of school grounds. He's not worth getting expelled over."

Kaito's grip tightened a little more before he released Nijima. It was only then Kaito realized he had been holding Nijima off the ground by his neck when he let go and Nijima fell to the floor, coughing for air.

With a shaky step back, Kaito tried to compose himself and focus on Akira's face though he rather look anywhere else. Akira held his gaze with a steady stare, acting as his anchor for Kaito to center himself around until his anger dampened. Slowly, Kaito breathed in and exhaled, letting go of his anger.

"I guess that means you won't take our offer."

"What offer?" Akira asked, turning his cold stare to Nijima.

Nijima met his gaze for a brief second before quickly looking away, his arrogant posture dropping slightly. "Where's Mori?" he asked Takumi, his voice raspy.

The artist shrugged half-heartedly, not overly concerned for Nijima.

“The practice building most likely."

Nijima pushed his bangs out of his face, his breathing finally back to normal. "Two nights ago, a group of teenagers went into the abandoned mansion south of here. Earlier this morning, their bodies were found dumped in the city cemetery. Rumor has it they died from blood loss." Nijima smirked. "So, I want to dare you to check out the house yourself."

Kaito chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "And why would I do something stupid like that."

"Why? Scared?"

Not one to back down from a challenge, Kaito smiled darkly. "Not on your life. You think I'd chicken out over some ghost story?"

Akira muttered, "Idiots," under his breath, already walking away.

"Does that mean you'll take the challenge?"

"Midnight tonight."

"Deal."

Takumi and Nijima walked away and the crowd that had surrounded them dispersed now that the show was over. Running to catch up to his friend, Kaito gave Akira an apologetic smile.

"You're leaving," the slightly smaller teen stated, obviously not approving.

"You can't seriously think I can stay here after that asshole just..." he trailed off under his friend's unmoving gaze. "I need air."

Akira grunted, leading the way towards the shoe lockers. "You shouldn't rise to every challenge he throws at you. He's looking to get you in trouble."

"You don't think I know that? He just irritates me so much," Kaito exhaled angrily. Just thinking of that pretty boy nearly made his temper snap. What was even more infuriating was that he knew Nijima was afraid of him. Today wasn't the first time he had lost control. Every time, he saw the fear in Nijima's eyes, just like everyone else. Nijima was just the only one stupid enough to keep repeatedly doing it. It just didn't make sense.

They walked in silence for a bit. Akira was mostly his polar opposite. The redhead was never much of a talker and preferred others to stay away from him. In fact, if there was anyone more unstable than Kaito, it was definitely Akira. Akira was known for his short, violent tempers, yet, Akira was always the one to keep him out of trouble, being his silent shadow and companion, unlike his much louder friend Saigo Daisuke.

Akira wasn't Japanese. In fact, he was obviously Middle Eastern with his skin and facial features, despite his unusual hair color, which was black at the roots before naturally turning red, but there was barely any proof of it in his speech. He spoke perfect Japanese as if bred and raised, but Kaito knew that wasn't the case. Akira, however, wouldn't talk about it, and Kaito didn't push.

Throwing his arm over Akira's shoulder, he grinned at his friend's stiff posture. Only he could do this without getting beaten, and a part of him found pleasure that someone trusted and liked him enough for him to be the exception. "Thanks, Akira. For back there."

"Don't mention it... Ever."

Laughing, Kaito released him, arriving at his shoe locker. He pulled out his outdoor shoes, slipping them on. "Tell Daisuke I'll call him after he gets out."

"If I remember," Akira said, not making any promises. He held up a black, leather school bag.

Smiling, Kaito took his bag from Akira. His friend knew his habits well. Waving, Kaito left the school, carrying his bag over his shoulder.

Hakuei was made up of mountainous terrain. The school was built on the top of one peak, overlooking the newly developed city underneath. After World War II, the area had gone through a huge economic boom, attracting many foreigners to the small island. The old traditional families that had resided on the island for centuries still had their large houses spread throughout the island, and the foreigners who had come shortly after the war, for some reason stayed and had their children here. It wasn't uncommon to see a mixture of Japanese and quite a few foreigners wandering around the town, yet people were always surprised when they looked at him.

Kaito got on the bus and took a seat, staring out the window. No matter where you were on the island, you could see the ocean in the distance. It was the best thing about this place. Even if the ocean was barely a spec, it was always there. To past the time, he put on his headphones.

Today, he needed to see the water up close.

He rode the bus as far as he could. Getting off, it was still a half an hour walk to the rocky shore. The other side of the island had the sandy white beaches that attracted all the tourists, but here, there were fewer people and more fish merchants. At this time of day, the docks were empty, and he could sit on the edge and let his feet soak in the water without worrying about wary eyes staring at him.

The water was clear as was the sky, and the salty breeze ruffled his hair. He loved the water. He loved everything about it except for the image that it always reflected back at him. Crystal blue eyes. Shaggy, bright blond hair. Tanned skin. There was barely a trace of his Asian characteristics. The only thing that gave him away was the shape of his eyes and a slightly roundish face. No one would believe he was three-fourths Japanese. It wasn't natural.

But it was the scar he hated seeing─ the diagonal scar on his left cheek from a knife wound on the day of his father's death. That's all he knew about it. The scar was smooth and to be honest, under certain conditions, it couldn't be seen, but it was always present in his mind like shackles. He couldn't even remember how he received it, yet it seemed to control him, brand him.

What did anyone know about his father's death? He didn't even know about the circumstances, and he was the only one there. He couldn't remember. That day was nothing but a thick fog. Why should he be labeled for something he wasn't sure he did?

It was not like he could do anything about it, and he wasn't foolish enough to hope that things would change. The only thing he could do was deal with it as it came and try to do react appropriately. Something easier said than done. Perhaps one day, he would be able to leave, but for now, his hands were tied. 

His cell rang, bringing him out of his thoughts. Absentmindedly, he answered with a dull, "Hello?"

"Kaito, you bastard! How could you ditch school without me?"

A smile inched its way on the teen's face. "I don't know what you are talking about," he sang. He could picture Daisuke’s frustrated face perfectly.

"Don't give me that. Takumi is telling everyone about what happened in the hallway. And then, I had to go bother Akira about what happened, and you know he scares the shit out of me."

Kaito couldn't hide his laugh this time. "He's not that bad."

"He threatened to skin me!"

"Yeah, yeah." Kaito stood, putting his shoes back on. "I'll meet you at my place. The old perv is delivering his manuscript today."

Distant chatter could be heard over the line before Daisuke replied. "Akira says he won't be a part of the dare, and you're on your own if you do it."

"Figures," he laughed. "I'll see you soon." He hung up. With the walk and a second bus trip, he and Daisuke would arrive around the same time. Shrugging off his worries, he let out a giant grin. That was enough moping about for now. Tonight, he would show up Nijima and have a little fun because Takeda, Kaito would not be intimidated by myths and ghosts. Laughing to himself, he left the docks and the sea behind, intending to show everyone just how ridiculous it was to believe in the supernatural.


	2. Meet the Vampire

The night sky was clear, the moon, a large silver crescent; its light shimmering on the lake below. The manor was above the city, a ways up the mountain, secluded from many of the other large houses and compounds in the area. The bike ride up was killer on Kaito's legs. Unfortunately, Daisuke and himself were still too young to get their driver's license and Akira had refused to come, meaning they didn't have access to his car and personal driver. They stopped in front of the wrought iron gate that closed off the entrance through the stone wall that surrounded the 4,000 squared meter property. 

 

The darkness of night made the abandoned mansion difficult to see through the trees, but in the distance, he could make out the outline of a building. Parking the bikes outside, he pushed open the gates that swung open without a sound. 

 

As Daisuke and Kaito made their way down the gravel path with their flashlights, Kaito couldn't help but feel something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The mansion itself was unusual. Many of the large estates on the island were large Japanese style mansions. There were a few western style mansions, but they had been built within the past 30 years. This mansion, however, was built over a hundred years ago, with late 1800 architecture, before the city grew and appeared on any map, and no one in town ever talked about it or really acknowledged it other than to say stay away. 

 

The nagging feeling in the back of his head grew with every step, still unable to figure out what was bothering him. The yard was well trimmed and weeded, the seasonal fall flowers in bloom, and as they got closer, the mansion came clearer into view. The stone exterior was clean and the vines were well controlled, climbing only on the rack assisting their growth. There wasn't anything to be afraid of, yet he still hadn't shaken the feeling even when they approached Nijima, Takumi, and surprisingly Mori, Satoshi. 

 

"What's he doing here?" Daisuke gestured to the additional teen, slouched against a tree. Satoshi was slightly shorter than the rest of them. With his constantly slouched posture, often rumpled clothes, and a constant bored expression, he was often mistaken for someone with no ambition. No one would believe he was the number one student in school who consecutively placed first in all subjects every exam period. It was his laid-back attitude that made Kaito like him. He was the type that didn't judge until he had all the facts. 

 

"We needed another person to ensure that you didn't chicken out," Nijima said offhandedly, texting on his phone. He sent the message than pocketed the device. "The rules are simple enough that even you two morons should be able to follow them." Nijima received a glare at the jab. "Search every room in the mansion and videotape as you make your way through with your phone for proof. You have to survive for an hour." His eyes landed on Daisuke. "Only Takeda has to remain the entire time. You're allowed to chicken out." His eyes returned to Kaito and a small smirk graced his lips, "And if there is a murderer or evil spirit, you're on your own." 

 

Kaito couldn't stop his eye roll, showing his disdain for Nijima's lame attempts to scare him. "We'll see who chicken's out," he muttered under his breath, meanwhile gesturing his friend to follow him to the front door as he pulled out his phone. 

 

He took a few steps towards the door, stopping when he didn't hear Daisuke following. Turning around to see what was taking so long, Mori, Takumi, and Nijima were already gone. He hated when they disappeared like that. "Well I guess it's just you and me," he trailed off when he noticed the hesitation in his friend's face. 

 

Daisuke was the same height as him with dark brown hair that looked like Daisuke had shaken his head like a dog to dry his hair rather than with a towel. He was often the one wearing a hoodie under his school blazer, the hood dangling out the back. He was as loud and mischievous as Kaito was and probably more energetic. It was when he was quiet that one had to worry, and Daisuke had not taken a single step towards the mansion. 

 

"You don't have to come, Daisuke. It's alright." 

 

His friend looked at the door then back at him. Even in the low light, Kaito could see him tremble. "No," his voice cracked then cleared his throat. "No, I'm fine. I, uh.... there aren't really ghosts here right?" 

 

Sighing, Kaito tilted his head towards the door. "I'm going in. You can stay here. It's no big deal." 

 

It wasn't even a second before Daisuke joined him by his side which made it difficult to hide the smile creeping on Kaito's face. Daisuke was the type who would face anything. Everything except ghosts. A byproduct from their childhood and long nights of watching horror movies. 

 

He must not have been very successful because his friend punched his arm hard. Laughing, he tried the door handle and surprisingly, the double doors opened without a fuss.  
"That's not normal," Daisuke whispered, staring at the dark inside. 

 

"Someone broke in earlier, right. It's probably because of them," he offered, though his voice held some uncertainty. Renewing his smile, he slapped his friend's back. "Come on. Worst case, it's just Nijima trying to scare us." 

 

"R-right." 

 

Kaito entered first, intending to lead by example, while Daisuke followed sticking close to him. The inside wasn't as dark as he thought. There were several candles lit, illuminating the interior in a faint light. They had entered into the foyer. The floor was made of black and white marble in a checkered pattern. A curving staircase, leading up to the second floor, had a suit of armor beside it, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The large foyer was circular, with two French doors to the right and left, and a long hallway at the other end, stretching into the darkness.  
Kaito took a few steps further inside inspecting the armor, noting the deep gashes along the chest plate as if it had been used. "Hey Dai, come look at this." 

 

"Kaito, we should get out of here. Something's not right," he hissed. 

 

Kaito was about to roll his eyes, but then he saw his friend's dimly lit form trembling uncontrollably. The words he had planned to say were swallowed and forgotten. Daisuke had good instincts. He always seemed to know when trouble was lurking around the corner, like a dog sensing something coming, and Kaito had never seen him look so frightened. 

 

"Alright," he said. "Let's g−" a gust of wind blew right past them, extinguishing the lights and the front doors slamming shut, leaving the room in absolute darkness. 

 

Daisuke's heavy breathing and murmuring was the only sound filling the room, a constant chant of "This can't be happening. This can't be happening," coming from his terrified voice. 

 

Kaito himself could almost laugh at the cliché if it were not for the fact it was happening to him like a bad horror movie. "It's probably Nijima," he tried to be reassuring, but his own bad feeling was making his hands shake. "Try the door." 

 

A second later, Kaito could hear the sound of a doorknob being twisted and pulled followed by the sound of the doors jiggling in their door frame when it refused to open. "It's locked!" Daisuke's voice rose in panic. 

 

"How can it be locked? It was just opened?" Kaito was pulled along with Daisuke's rising panic, and then suddenly, like a splash of cold water he understood why. Why he had thought something was strange since he had first entered the property. The soundless gates opening. The trimmed grass. The nice and polished foyer and lit candles. Someone still lived here. For a house that was supposed to have been abandoned for over 100 years, there wasn't a single trace of rot or decay, nothing broken or covered in dust. It all looked brand new, but Kaito knew for a fact no one lived here. Gossip would have flooded the entire island if there was so much as the gate opening or a car heading this direction. 

 

But the candles had been lit, and someone had to light them, and while Nijima was a jerk, this type of prank wasn't his style. He fought with words and the occasional challenge. He would never cheat or use petty tricks no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise. 

 

"We have to get out of here," Kaito tried to keep his voice calm, but his voice wavered at the end. "I really don't want to be killed by evil spirits."  
He meant for it to be joking, but the humor failed to be conveyed, panicking his friend even more. "I thought you didn't believe in spirits!" 

 

"I wouldn't call myself a spirit." 

 

Daisuke and Kaito froze. Despite the darkness, they had been friends long enough to know that voice had not belonged to either of them. It was deep, smooth, and almost mocking. It was just a voice, and a person had to be on the other end, yet it made Kaito's heartbeat quicken and sweat form on the palms of his hands. "Who are you?" he demanded, refusing to be controlled by his fear. It was just another person. Just like him. 

 

"Hn, you come into my house and demand my name? You are more of an idiot than I thought," the voice paused as if in thought then said, "But I will humor you." A single candle relit, casting a soft glow on the owner who held it. It was difficult to see with the shadows the candle cast upon the speaker's face, but Kaito could make out pale skin, dark hair, a youngish face, and dark eyes, eyes so dark they looked black. "My name is Himura, Ryunosuke, the owner of this mansion." 

 

Seeing his face somehow didn't make the fear go away. Something about his eyes, made him feel predatory, dangerous. Kaito could hear Daisuke behind him shifting constantly. His friend hadn't relaxed either, further cementing his belief that the sooner they left the better, bet be damned. "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Himura-san," Kaito smiled, knowing there was no way it could be seen. "We thought this place was abandoned and was just messing around. We'll just go and leave a letter of apology in your mailbox by tomorrow morning." Kaito took a step back, nervous about turning his back on this Himura person. 

 

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that. You see, any dinner that walks into my manor is fair game," the owner smiled, a fang peeking out from under his upper lip. "And I am quite famished." As Himura talked, his speech continually slipped into an older speech pattern until his young face felt ill-suited for his voice.  
"Kaito," Daisuke hissed, grabbing Kaito's right arm in a deathly grip. "He smells like blood." 

 

The teen's heart was beating wildly, and for a moment, his body was paralyzed as the information sunk in. Daisuke was never wrong. If he smelled blood... 

 

He then recalled Nijima's story, about the murders, and Nijima's insistence that the story was real. This man killed them. He had no proof, but he could not bring himself to believe otherwise. There was no doubt. Himura may not have been a spirit, but maybe something worse, and he had dragged Daisuke into it. 

 

Himura started walking towards them slowly, his heels clicking on the marble floor, each step ringing, echoing, in the large hall. 

 

He needed to get Daisuke out of here. "When I make a move, run," Kaito whispered. 

 

Daisuke grabbed his arm, grasping it tightly. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you with him," he replied panicked. 

 

"And if you don't, we're both dead, so run fast and come back for me." 

 

Kaito couldn't wait for Daisuke's response. He ripped out of Daisuke's hold, charging towards the man, fist raised. 

 

Daisuke wasted no time trying to kick down the door. If he worked fast enough, if they had more light to see or found Nijima or Mori, maybe they could team up on the psychopath. Each kick was filled with desperation, aiming each one at the lock that kept it closed. The wood was splintering, and hope surged through his chest. They could make it. Just a little more. 

 

With one more kick, the wood gave way and the doors slammed open. Daisuke turned to tell Kaito then the blood drained from his face. Somehow Kaito had been turned around, his right arm held firmly to his chest and the left arm trapped behind his back, their attacker standing behind him keeping him in place with long slender arms, one arm forcing Kaito's head to the side while the other kept Kaito from moving. 

 

Kaito's blue eyes were glazed over as blood trailed down his neck from the wound caused by Himura's teeth. Himura sucked at the wound, drawing blood into his mouth, causing a soft pained grunt to escape Kaito's lips. 

 

Daisuke was frozen in place, unsure what to do. Should he help him or try to find someone? His eyes accidentally met Kaito's. Kaito looked deathly pale in the moonlight. Even so, the teen managed to softly smile at him and mouthed, "Run." 

 

Daisuke felt his eyes sting with tears as he took a shaky step back, then another. The attacker was watching him but made no move after him as he drank Kaito's blood. The tears fell then Daisuke was rushing down the gravel road. 

 

"Nijima! Mori!" He screamed, almost tripping in his panic. "Get out here! Please! Help us!" 

 

There was no answer. He kept running towards the gate calling out, praying for someone to answer only to receive silence in return. His hopes were dwindling quickly with each second, hearing no reply as he screamed at the inky blackness for someone to come to their aid. 

 

As he neared the gate, he saw the flashing lights of a police car. He picked up the pace, yelling as loud as he could.  
The car was pulling away, and he pushed himself harder to go faster. It didn't matter if he couldn't breathe, yelling was more important. It didn't' matter if his legs burned as the car went further and further out of reach. If it would stop for a moment and he could grab their attention, it would be enough. 

 

In his haste, he didn't notice the large branch sticking out onto the road, tearing into his flesh and causing him to fall and tumble several meters down the slope of the mountain, his arm taking the brunt of the fall but still hitting his head against the concrete. 

 

His vision drifted in and out. Had he failed? Was this really it? Kaito was going to get killed just because he hadn't spoken up sooner about his unease. The one time he should have just listened to Akira and talked Kaito out of this entire thing to begin with. Was he going to live knowing that he was only alive because Kaito protected him yet again?  
Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the car come to a stop. 

* * *

"Asuma-kun." 

 

Asuma looked up from his paperwork, cigarette dangling from his lips with a scowl. His paperwork had piled up due to his neglectful partner, but at the sight of who had called him, he forced himself to put on a strained smile for his visitor. "Breeding-san. You came quicker than I expected." 

 

"When you have my precious students under your wonderful care, of course, I'll be here." The principal was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, a clear bag carrying hospital scrubs in her hand. While she was always polite to him, he couldn't help but think who had called her. He had intentionally avoided calling her this time, hoping to wait a few hours before he was forced to. They had barely brought them in not 10 minutes ago. 

 

Taking the plunge, he leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk, and using his most placating tone he could manage. "Breeding-san, I know you're protective over your students, but two of them are already eighteen. I think it's time we started to process them as legal adults. This isn't their first offense." 

 

The woman slammed down a document onto his desk which took biting his inner cheek to not let a rude comment slip, instead scanning the piece of paper. A frown pulled at his lips, deepening with each passing line. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyes. "Another one? Their families won't be able to keep them out of trouble forever. They have to face consequences. The owner of that property wants to press charges." 

 

"He won't," her eyes hardened. "Now, would you kindly release Satoshi-kun, Takumi-kun, and Yuji-kun please." 

 

Putting out his cigarette in his ashtray, he pressed the intercom button. "Mifune-kun, release them." 

 

"Right away, Asuma-taichou." The fact that he didn't even have to explain who "they" were was unsettling. It happened too frequently for his liking, but it wasn't like he could argue with the mayor's signature, not if he wanted to stay chief of police. 

 

"Is that all you wanted, Breeding-san?" he said, dropping the pretense that he was anything but annoyed to see her. 

 

"For now. I need to get back." Despite saying this, the woman hesitated to leave. 

 

Unable to bear her dawdling, he added, "Kaito-kun isn't here. He wasn't with Daisuke-kun either." 

 

"Of course." She bowed her head in a quick farewell, finally leaving his office. 

 

Putting his hand through his greying hair, he noticed he needed a haircut as it was starting to get into his eyes and slicking it back was becoming less effective. 

 

He stepped out of his office to watch the three boys relieved of their handcuffs and set free without charges yet again. Satoshi and Takumi were released to Breeding-san as usual. Both teens looked indifferent to their situation even when their principal/school chairman gave them a scathing look. Neither teen was ever expressive, but as long as he had known them, they weren't bad kids. They were smart, even knowing the law to the extent that they could put him in a bind, but none of their crimes were ever filled with malicious intent. In fact, they only ever seemed to be in trouble because of the Nijima kid. 

 

Nijima, Yuji sat in front of the station in the waiting room, waiting to be picked up by someone. Being in his line of work, Asuma could understand why the kid constantly found trouble. The first couple times he had been arrested, he had been picked up immediately by his uncle. The kid had shrunk back at the man's presence, trying to become invisible. Soon after, his uncle didn't even bother to come, sending a servant to retrieve him. Gradually, not even that. There were times, he'd wait an entire day until the police department let him go out of pity. Being on an island where everyone knew everyone was handy in times like that. It allowed Asuma to bend the rules when situations such a Yuji's popped up. 

 

Preparing a cup of green tea, he handed it to the teen, who took it automatically, not even looking at him. The kid just looked empty, no trace of the smug attitude he had when he was questioned. He just drank from the steaming cup periodically, preparing himself for the long wait until the police took pity on him and let him go to school in the morning. 

 

"Nijima." 

 

Both Asuma's and Yuji's heads shot up at who called him, surprised at how quickly someone came to claim him. Akira, another one of the "untouchables" as Asuma liked to call the teen criminals who seemed immune to the law, waited just in front of the automated doors. He looked like he had rolled out of bed, his hair astray, his eyes red, and t-shirt and jeans wrinkled. 

 

Yuji broke eye contact with him, staring into the cup in his hands like a scolded child, unusually silent. 

 

"Yuji," Akira said again. It lacked the sharp edge this time. "I'm losing sleep." 

 

The odd statement seemed to gain Yuji's attention, guilt flashing across his features. "You have a spare room?" he asked, looking up. 

 

"I don't answer stupid questions," came the reply. 

 

Yuji let slip a small smile. "Forgive my stupidity then." 

 

Asuma let the kid go. It was better than letting him sit in the station all night or let him go wandering the streets until morning. He'd let Yuji's guardian know of his whereabouts, not that the man seemed to care much of where his nephew was. 

 

He left a message with a servant in the Nijima household and finished filing the complaint Himura had put in. Mifune gave him another stack of paperwork that had to be completed by tomorrow afternoon when a stray thought entered his mind. If Akira was with Yuji and Daisuke was in the hospital, where was Kaito?

  


* * *

Kaito woke with a start, his hand flying to his neck. Feeling no break in the skin or wetness, he exhaled in relief. It was all just a dream. He laughed nervously. Just a dream. It had felt so real, but he was home in his bed with no sign of injury. His breathing slowed until a loud bang on his door made him jump a mile high. 

 

"Kaito! I know you're having a wonderful wet dream about my latest book, but get dressed. It's time for breakfast." 

 

Grinning, Kaito threw the blankets off, making his way to the door and flinging it wide open. "You wish, pervert. I was just dreaming of the last time you put me into the hospital from your cooking." 

 

He smiled at his guardian who smiled at him affectionately. His guardian Goro was a man in his late fifties. He was tall, well built, and always wearing a yukata even in public. His life as an author surprisingly involved a lot of travel, but he took him in when he had become an orphan. He wasn't the best guardian, but he did his best. 

 

"I didn't make it this time," the old man assured him. "Krista-chan did. Now get dressed. You have to leave for school in 15 minutes." 

 

Kaito didn't wait for Goro to walk off. He searched his room for semi-clean clothes, throwing them on, then rushed down the stairs after his guardian. He was in such a rush; he didn't notice the blood-stained shirt lying on the floor in the corner.

 


	3. Explanations

Ryunosuke stared out the heavily tinted window, observing the activity on the other side with mild boredom. Throngs of uniformed students passed by his limousine, conspicuously looking at the vehicle before turning to their group of friends to gossip before heading through the front gate towards the school. He took a sip from his wine glass, the contents too thick to be wine by the way it sloshed around in its container. Humans were annoying, little more than vicious wolves allowed to roam as they pleased, so that they may rip each other to shreds by their greed. A blond hair teen walked past his town car, paying it no attention as he went by, a bubble of space around him and the other students. Well, maybe not all of them.

"Are you certain you wish to do this, young master?" his driver asked. "Your reputation alone will be enough to cause a stir."

On the top floor in the east wing of the school, Ryunosuke could make out the sharp hazel eyes of a busty, brunette woman staring at him through a partially opened window. "This is my best lead, and I have already made the necessary arrangements and compromises with them. To pull out now would be a waste."

"If you keep talking like that, young master, you'll never convince them you're just a normal 18 year old." His driver turned in his seat to give him a dopey grin. "You're a teenager, remember."

"I'm well aware." Tilting his glass back, he finished the rest of his beverage, placing the empty glass down.

His driver looked worried, nervous even. "About the boy…" he trailed off.

"He will be dealt with. I just let him go on a whim." Ryunosuke smirked a little, recalling the boy in question. "You never know, Maybe he'll lead us to whom we are looking for." He opened the door himself, ignoring the indignant sputtering of his driver about not letting him do his job.

"I will be here by noon, young master," the driver called out after him.

Ryunosuke closed the door without bothering to respond.

Eyes were on him as he walked the path to the entrance. Not unexpected. He was prepared for this much. It was the eyes that weren't directly following his every move that he had to be wary of. Shouldering his bag, he followed the students inside.

* * *

Kaito hit his head against his shoe locker.

The morning had started out fine. Krista came over to make a large western breakfast for his birthday which he managed to devour in record time. His school uniform was wrinkled, and he forgot his blazer, but he didn't think it was a big deal. He always borrowed the school sweater vest from Daisuke on days like this, except his friend didn't show up at his doorstep that morning as he usually did.

Kaito had waited for Daisuke as long as he could, even getting scolded by Krista about being late for school, but he stayed until he could not wait another second. Somehow, he still managed to get to school on time, taking his bike to the bus stop rather than walking.

Despite the late October air, it felt hot. Sweltering even. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top, but it didn't help. By the time he arrived at school, he felt extremely tired and surprisingly hungry.

With lethargic movements, he opened his locker, pulling out his indoor ones, and changed shoes. He just put on his last shoe when his side was poked, making him jump in surprise.

"Happy birthday, Cherry-kun." The fake smile Takumi gave him was enough to irritate Kaito let alone the nickname. He hated when he just appeared out of nowhere like that.

"Morning to you too, asshole," he murmured, not putting up a fight. He yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth before he did so. Takumi was watching him with such concentration it was beginning to make him uncomfortable. "Where's Nijima?"

Takumi stared at him for a moment longer before answering. "I would guess at the station. We were caught trespassing last night."

"And you're out because…"

Takumi gave him another fake smile that was borderline creepy. "Let's just say, it is simple to escape the custody of the Japanese police force with the right bargaining methods."  
The way it was said made it difficult not find a sexual meaning in it, so he decided not to ask. If anything, it was probably just his family's influence again, just like most of the students here, not that many of them got into frequent enough trouble to use their family name.

Takumi continued to stare, the discomfort growing until finally, Kaito could not take it anymore, rounding on the teen. "Is there any reason why you're staring at me?"

Takumi didn't even blink. "No," he said slowly after some time. "I just thought you looked a bit pale. You'd usually be yelling at me by now."

"Must be the lighting," Kaito said, waving him off. "I'm just tired."

"Right." Takumi was looking at him strangely, even for him. "Have you gone to see Saigo-kun yet? He looked to be in pretty bad shape last night. I thought something may have happened to you too."

This woke Kaito up, making him stand a bit straighter when he asked, "What do you mean last night? What happened?"

Takumi froze with a subtle "I shouldn't have said that" expression that he tried to hide. Kaito was about to press him for more details when the bell rang. "I have to get to class." Before Kaito could say another world, Takumi had left.

It didn't really matter. They were in the same class so he would corner him eventually, but he was worried about Daisuke. The dream he had last night came back to him.

He swore he went to the mansion last night. It had definitely been very vivid in his memory and felt real, but he didn't remember going home, so he assumed it was just another one of those dreams. But in the dream, Daisuke had escaped. On the off chance that it was real, what could have happened between Daisuke's escape and now?

He shook his head. The entire dream was ridiculous to begin with.

Besides, he was still alive, wasn't he? In the dream, he had died.

He walked into class, still deep in thought, but took time to notice who was there and who wasn't. As usual, there was disorganization that usually came with homeroom, with the majority of his class not at their assigned desks. As always, their science and homeroom teacher Yamada-sensei was nowhere to be seen. The only thing consistent about Yamada was that he was late to homeroom period every morning, so everyone was huddled with their friends in small circles looking at magazines, playing games, or listening to music.

Atsuko was chatting away with Nijima, Sayuri, the younger cousin of Nijima, Yuji. She had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs partially covering her face. She was quieter and more reserved than her cousin with a soft and pleasant personality. If Kaito had to describe her to anyone, she was the ideal version of a proper Japanese heiress. It was no wonder why Daisuke had a crush on her.

The girl looked up at his entrance and smiled shyly at him before resuming her quiet conversation with Atsuko. While normally he would have at least greeted his girlfriend, he wasn't quite in the mood, especially since she was squealing over some guy in a magazine with two other girls.

His eyes wandered over the class until he found his target. Akira was lying his head down on his desk.

As usual, there was a bubble around Akira that screamed, "Do not disturb." A warning majority of the class took to heart, proven by the surrounding empty desks. Naturally, that meant Kaito had to disturb his friend. Hanging his bag on the hook attached to his desk, he moved the piece of furniture closer until it was touching Akira's.

"Another sleepless night?" he asked.

Akira, turned his head enough so a green eye could peek out from the comfort of his arms. The permanent bags under the redhead's eyes were darker than normal, clearly telling Kaito that he hadn't been able to sleep a wink the night before. "Care to explain why you look dead, Takeda?"

"I'm exhausted." Kaito laid his head down on his desk too. "I overslept, Baa-chan wouldn't wait to give me a ride, something happened to Daisuke, and I have no idea what, and the girl I'm dating is obsessing over some guy in a magazine," he whined like a young child.

"You also got a 32 on your science quiz."

Kaito groaned. "How do you even know that?"

"I had to grade papers with…for Yamada." Akira sat up and rested his chin in his hand, watching the blond sulk with his apathetic face.

Kaito sighed, turning his head to the side. "How'd you get detention?" Akira sat quietly for several minutes.

Kaito figured he wasn't going to answer, letting his thoughts wander when Akira spoke up. "I may have lost my temper and stabbed someone's hand with my chopsticks."

Kaito tried not to laugh, but the smile kept widening on his face. "Why?"

"They wouldn't stop talking to me," he said. It was said with such little inflection, it could almost make one believe that it was a legitimate reason to harm another student.

Shaking his head in a combination of amusement, fascination, and exasperation, Kaito lifted his head. "How'd you convince them not to suspend you this time?"

Akira's eyes darted off to the side. "I told them it was an accident."

This time Kaito did sigh disapprovingly. "You threatened them again didn't you."

"More or less…." Akira's tone stated that the conversation was over, and he was finished speaking which was okay with Kaito. Akira was the one person he could be with and not feel obligated to say something. His eyes pulled closed as he basked in the classroom's idle chit chat.

"Teacher," Mori, who was also the class representative called out as Yamada walked in. Everyone hurried to put their desks back to their proper place and stand for the teacher's entrance. "Bow," he called out.

Kaito ignored the morning greeting, already dozing off into his morning nap. Akira also ignored the greeting as it was usual for him to do. A few students sent them a glare which Akira returned much more effectively, unnerving the other students into looking ahead.

"Good morning, class. I have an announcement today. A new student will be joining us." The teacher went on about where transfer student was from and his accomplishments or something. Kaito had zoned out after the first word.

What happened to Daisuke, he wondered. Maybe he could skip after lunch. He could give Krista a pack of her favorite beer as an apology, surely, she couldn't stay mad at him for checking up on his friend, right? He really hoped so because he really couldn't handle being smacked around by her this early in the morning.

"Please become good friends with Himura, Ryunosuke."

Kaito's head shot up at the name. In front of the room stood a tall teen. His skin was clear and smooth without a single blemish, his body thin but with lean muscle that made him look graceful but still masculine, his hair was a fine black, neatly trimmed, and his eyes a captivating, obsidian black.

It was the eyes that Kaito recognized. The chill he got when looking into them as if he was staring into the eyes of a predator.

Himura smiled at the class, but it didn't reach the depths of his eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Himura, Ryunosuke. My hobbies are reading and listening to classical music. I will be your classmate from now on, so please take good care of me," he bowed.

Kaito stood up, knocking his chair to the floor, scuffling back in terror into the desk behind him, a long stream of curses streaming from his mouth in his shock. The action drew the attention of the entire class, even Akira, but they didn't matter. He couldn't get his eyes off that face smiling at him in the front of the room.

"Takeda-kun, is there a reason why you found it necessary to curse out our new student?" Kaito's eyes glanced at Yamada then back at Himura. The teen's mouth worked wordlessly, gaping like a goldfish, unable to find any other words.

"I'm sure it's just because he's never seen a celebrity before, Sensei. I have a lot of fans like him." Himura, Ryunosuke walked towards him.

Everyone around them seemed to grow further and further away as the distance between Himura and Kaito shortened. Each step echoed in Kaito's mind as if it wanted Kaito to know, to feel, that each passing moment his chances to escape were dwindling into nothing.

Himura stopped beside his desk and bowed deeply. "I'll be in your care from today onwards, Takeda-kun. I hope we get along."

"Um... yeah," was the only thing Kaito could offer. Himura righted himself, still smiling politely.

"Well since you're over there, you can take the empty seat behind Takeda. Our class representative, Mori-kun will show you around."

"Yes, Sensei," Himura said, continuing past Kaito to take the seat behind him while Kaito picked his chair off the floor, his hands shaking.

"Move your desk back to its proper place while you are at it, Takeda-kun," Yamada tacked on, already turning to write on the blackboard.

He chuckled at himself shakily, trying to laugh off his nerves. Really. Vampires didn't exist. He hadn't even really gotten a good look at the attacker in the dream. It had been too dark. He was just projecting his fears onto Himura since he just so happened to transfer.

Besides, the way he spoke was different in the dream. Then it was cocky and condescending, not to mention way out of date. This one was polite and modern. So what if getting a transfer at this time of year never happened before. There was a first time for everything. 

He sat back down, and the teacher started class.  
   
Today's lesson was on mental disorders. Normally, Kaito would sleep or daydream through his early morning lessons, but today he steadily took notes, chewing on the end of his pencil as he did so.

Something touched the back of his neck, a feather soft touch similar to a soft breath of air.

Fear racked up his spine and the side of his neck began to burn. The same spot where he dreamed of being bitten. Fear locked his joints, making him unable to turn around. No, he was unable to move at all, unable to bring himself to even breathe. Surely someone saw what was going on, right?

Then the voice whispered into his ear, "Meet me on the roof after class."

There was no mistaking that condescending tone. It was him. It was definitely him.

No.

He refused to be controlled by fear. Not again. Gathering his courage, he spun around in his seat only to see Himura taking notes without a hair out of place. Himura looked up at him and smiled. "Is something wrong, Takeda-san?" he asked politely.

Kaito faced forward once again. His hand went to his neck, ensuring the skin was really smooth. It had to be a dream. It had to be….  
But he was afraid.

For the first time in his life, he never wanted the class to end.

But he could not stop the inevitable.

The moment Yamada left and independent study began, Kaito ran out of the classroom and down the corridor. If he went there, and Himura didn't show up, then it was just his imagination. It was just the voices again. He prayed it was just the voices.

He pushed the roof door open, searching wildly for Himura. Not seeing him, Kaito exhaled heavily, not even considering the fact that Himura could still be coming since Kaito had left the classroom first. It was just the voice again, messing with his head.

He walked to the railing surrounding the edge of the roof and leaned against it, overlooking the school grounds. It was just inside his head. Last night didn't really happen.  
"You sure took a long time getting here."

Kaito whirled around, looking around, frantically searching for where the voice had from.

On top of the roof entrance, Himura, Ryunosuke sat. The polite face that he had worn in class had been replaced with a condescending one. There was something strange about him, like a power surrounding him that gave him an unearthly look as the sun shone behind him. Instead of giving him a halo, it gave him a dark silhouette and gave him a more menacing appearance.

"Who the hell are you," Kaito whispered.

"You really are slow." Himura stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets and casually jumped down. "For the last time, I am Himura, Ryunosuke. I am also a vampire."

Kaito shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "Really. You expect me to believe something as stupid as that?" His grip tightened on the roof railing, reminding himself there was nowhere to go but down. "You really need to find yourself some help. Akira can recommend a great psychologist."

"Then tell me, how would you explain it?" He asked lifting an eyebrow. "You can explain last night, can't you?"

"Uh, genetic mutations?" he guessed, leaning back when the so-called vampire approached him.

Himura gave a snort of disbelief, leaning forward and grabbing the railing on either side of Kaito, trapping him in place. "Is that really what you want to go with?"

He was too close for comfort. Kaito moved to knee him in the crotch, but Himura released the railing and moved back, just out of reach. "Have you ever heard of personal space?!" he yelled.

Himura didn't even look phased. He kept that look on his face as if he was the gods' gift to the world. An expression Kaito was more than familiar with at this school and annoyed him to no end.  
But seriously how did one handle delusional psychopaths? If that dream was true, and that was a big if, there could be lots of explanations for it, right?

It was dark. Modern technology could make the strangest things seem real. It was just some prank. A prank that landed Daisuke in the hospital. It, however, didn't explain this paralyzing fear of whenever Himura looked at him. Or why, if he was actually bitten, wasn't dead.

"How did I get back home last night?" he asked quietly, staring at the ground.

There was a plop, and his wallet skid into view. "You shouldn't carry a wallet when committing a crime, idiot. It's amazing you're not in prison yet."

Kaito bent down to pick it up, keeping his eyes on Himura. "Doesn't really matter when everyone in town knows who I am anyway."

"If you had managed to commit breaking and entering successfully without being seen but dropped your wallet, you'd have a new entry to your rather pathetic list of petty crimes."

"You looked at my file!"

Himura gave him the "of course" look, which made Kaito groan, momentarily forgetting his fear and giving him a much needed moment to recollect his thoughts. "Okay. Fine. Let me humor you. Pretend for a second that I believe you. What happens now?"

"You will turn. Obviously." The arrogant tone was granting on Kaito's nerves. Wiping a hand over his face, he tried to reign in his thinning patience. This entire conversation was stupid. This was complete and utter nonsense. "You don't believe me," Himura stated matter of fact.

"How can I? I mean. Just," he waved frantically at Himura's direction, "look at you. You're standing out in the sun. Isn't that like the number one vampire rule?"

The vampire turned his back to him, heading towards the door. "The sun is damaging to the body. Right now, the UV rays are destroying your skin and radiating your cells. That constant damage has to be repaired. For a vampire, that equates to hunger. The longer they stay exposed, the more frequently they feed. Meaning, they need to hunt more frequently. That exposes them to risk of being exposed. It takes decades of practice to learn to control and ignore that hunger, but eventually," he locked the door just as someone jiggled the handle, "it has to be sated."

Kaito wasn't even going to ask where he got the key. It was obvious the lunatic had planned out this little meeting. "So I guess that rules out coffins. How about stakes?"

"It's one of two ways to kill a vampire." Himura leaned against the door. "Destroy the heart beyond repair or a full decapitation. Both of which are not easy to do."

"You know what, you're full of shit," Kaito said, finally regaining his courage to approach Himura, refusing to be afraid any longer. "If what you said was true, I'd be changing, but nothing's happened. I'm still the same."

"It takes 26 days for the complete transformation. Normally, you'd still be incapacitated from blood loss. Even I'm surprised by your quick recovery."

"I'm a quick healer," he said dryly. "Now move before I make you."

Himura smirked. "Try it."

Kaito grabbed the front of Himura's blazer, raising his fist to hit that annoying smirk off his face, throwing his weight behind the punch. Then suddenly, he was grasping and punching air, and there was a shove from behind, making him fall forward after his swing's follow through.

Unprepared, he fell face first into the door, hard.

Warm blood trickled down Kaito's forehead from a small gash. His hand shot up to wipe it away, cursing his luck and everything happening to him. He turned just slightly to check where the other teen had disappeared to only to be shoved against the door with a hand against his chest that he couldn't dislodge.

"Denial isn't becoming," Himura said. He didn't look like he was exerting any power in keeping Kaito pinned. Slowly, he leaned in close, eyes glued on the trail of blood.

Kaito held doubts about Himura being a vampire. Who wouldn't? The story was something out of a fairytale or a horror movie depending on who you asked. He wasn't even a spiritual person. He didn't go to the shrines, Buddhist or Shinto, to pray or even attend the festivals at those places. He just could not bring himself to believe that spirits and/or gods occupied the small roadside shrines throughout the island.

Yet here, as he was trapped against the door unable to budge, Himura's gaze held more restraint than the hand against his chest. They were black like any other average Japanese person, yet they seemed inhuman.

Instinctively, Kaito knew he was food and that the hunter had caught its prey and restraining itself from attacking, fixated on the blood that was trailing down his forehead.  
   
 _ **Are you going to let fear control you, brat? Are you that weak?**_  
   
The weakness in his legs disappeared, finding the strength to grab the wrist pinning him down and dug his nails into Himura's skin, drawing blood. "Let go," Kaito's voice deepened into a growl.  
Himura blinked, then shifted his gaze to Kaito's hand and the blood now trailing down his arm. There was a slight crease of confusion in Himura's face before it smoothed into stoicism. With ease, he ripped his arm away from Kaito's grip, and he turned his back to him, taking a few steps away towards the roof railing.  
   
"Any more questions?" Himura asked as if he had lost interest in the conversation.

Nonetheless, Kaito appreciated the sudden lack of direct attention. For a moment, he had believed what Himura said. But he still couldn't explain the overwhelming strength or the speed that Kaito's eyes could not follow. It was beyond human movement. Was there any other possible explanation other than what Himura offered?

"You said 26 days, right?" Kaito said, quietly. "What will happen during that time?"

The wind picked up, making the self-proclaimed vampire's blazer and tie flutter. The air was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, yet it seemed foreboding, adding to the weight to Himura's words when he spoke.

"Your body will slowly begin to change. Your heart rate will slow until it is nearly non-existent. Human food will lose its taste to you, and it will become difficult to keep down. Eventually, the change will take its toll on your body, and you will have a seizure followed by several days of unbearable pain as the last transformations take place. By the time you regain consciousness, you will become one of us."

Each passing sentence weighed heavier and heavier on Kaito's mind.

"So you're saying in about four weeks…I'll be a monster."

Himura turned around to face him. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy on his face as he replied, "If that's what you want to call yourself."

Kaito chuckled lowly, shaking his head as he smiled. "Perfect," he said under his breath. "Just perfect. I guess the outside will match the inside now."

Himura raised an eyebrow in question.

With a wave of his hand, Kaito dismissed Himura's question. "Nothing. Forget it."

Kaito removed his tie casually, shoving it into his pocket. Shoulders slightly slouched and hands in his pockets, the teen turned, heading towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going, moron?"

"You put Daisuke in the hospital, didn't you?" Kaito said not turning around. "I'm going to go see him."

"I didn't say you could leave."

The cold voice of Himura's had less of an effect on him now that his back was towards him. It was nearly laughable at how elitist Himura sounded. It may have been funny if this school wasn't filled with people like him. If Himura's eyes didn't unnerve him as they did, he'd have equated Himura to any other student at this school, albeit a psychotic one.

"I didn't ask."

Kaito had just reached out for the door, remembering that Himura had locked it, when the vampire said, "Then I guess I will have to come with you so we can finish our conversation."

Kaito's already thin patience boiled over at that point, whipping around to find Himura only a step away. The close distance didn't deter him, instead fueling his anger as he snarled, "Don't you dare get near him."

Most people would have back down. When Kaito lost his temper, people backed off and cowered. It was how it always was. Himura didn't look remotely scared. In fact, he had a look of mild interest, not even looking away from his eyes. "Do you think you could stop me?"

No. Kaito knew he couldn't. His fists clenched at his sides, concentrating on breathing in and out slowly and reigning in his fury. "If you harm him, you'll regret it."

Himura leaned past him, unlocking the door without looking away.

"I'd like to see you try." He opened the door. "After you."

Deciding physical altercations would not be in his best interest at this moment, Kaito decided to leave, ignoring the fact that Himura was in fact following. He meant what he said. If Himura hurt Daisuke, he'd find a way to kill him, one way or another.  
   
 _ **A cute thought, Kit, but he's way out of your league,**_ came a dark chuckle. _ **I could take care of him if you like. Give me five minutes.**_  
   
Kaito continued down the stairs, muttering an excuse me to a student who scurried away at the sight of him.  
   
 _ **Fine. I can wait. It’s only a matter of time.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and give feedback.


	4. Hospital Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be my last update. The book is finished, don't get me wrong, but there hasn't been any feedback on the work. As much as I love my Beta, and the wonderful comment she left me as a surprise, I can't help but feel its biased when I'm looking to find feedback from people I don't know. If anyone is actually interested in an update, let me know.

That meeting had been...educational to put it politely.

Ryunosuke followed Takeda from behind watching the teen slowly calm down and release his anger. He had noticed a lot of things since entering the gates of the school, but nothing had been more helpful, yet confusing, than his interaction with Takeda. 

When he had walked into the classroom, his first view of Takeda had been the typical delinquent. Dyed blond hair, messy uniform, and unrefined in every sense of the word. The teacher had not originally bothered trying to lecture him to put his desk into the correct spot, nor did he scold the teen for not standing and bowing. He concluded that it was typical behavior from the teen and the teacher had tired of fighting it or simply did not care. 

Sitting in the class, Ryunosuke had leaned towards the later. 

Takeda's initial reaction to recognizing him had been amusing and expected. A combination of panic, disbelief, and uncertainty. That was within the norm. As was Takeda's panic when he left the classroom towards the roof. What made everything derail from the expected was when Takeda had injured himself. 

He shouldn't have been feeling hunger. Ryunosuke had fed twice in the past week, yet with just a whiff of the metallic smell, his teeth had ached to bite. With the close proximity, he had felt Takeda's heart beating out of control beneath the palm of his hand. Fear was a wonderful intoxicant. Adrenaline especially made the blood strengthen in flavor while cortisol made the blood sweeter. 

Takeda's blood had been different. His blood was full of flavor, but without the overpowering sweetness to match. It was like his adrenaline was always going, but the stress didn't seem to come along with it. As Ryunosuke wasn't a fan of the sweet things, the flavor without the drawback was welcomed, but realistically not possible, until now that was. 

Perhaps that was the source of why he ached to drink more when the scent was caught by him, but it only raised more questions. 

The second thing that derailed everything was Takeda breaking his skin with his bare nails. Vampire skin was soft, but it wasn't quite as fragile as human skin. A knife he could understand, nails were another story. Nevertheless, the slight sting had brought him out of his trance, and he had taken the opportunity to collect himself and reign in his hunger and thoughts. 

The third thing was what surpassed unexpected and turned into a downright enigma. As the teen removed his tie, the fear the teen had exhibited vanished momentarily, replaced with a cold persona, lacking the fear and anxiety he had exuberated moments before. He had looked down at Ryunosuke at the end of his nose as if he was nothing more than an insect. At that moment, he was a different person altogether. 

The change had left as quickly as it had come, ending when Takeda slouched, shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. Takeda didn't seem aware of the change, so Ryunosuke had planned to just ignore the phenomenon for now.

The fourth thing, however, was not something he could easily ignore. 

He had not lied about needing to speak with him but simply saying he would accompany Takeda to the hospital had the teenager become more viscous than when his own life had been in jeopardy. It was within that heat of anger, that Takeda's physical appearance changed. It was a flash, hard to notice by a normal human. Molten gold irises and sharpened nails. It lasted a fraction of a second, but Ryunosuke had caught it. He was beginning to see why Takeda was in that class. 

Now, as they were making their way through the school, Ryunosuke observed the way other students made an effort to avoid Takeda, one even going so far as to stop and change directions. Takeda was becoming more and more of a mystery every passing second. 

"It's your first day of school. Won't you get in trouble for skipping?" Takeda's question came seemingly out of nowhere. He had stopped and was now facing him. With his sleeves rolled up, his tie missing, top shirt buttons undone, blond hair, and his slouched posture, Takeda fit the image of a stereotype delinquent, a stark contrast to Ryunosuke's perfectly pressed uniform and neat and tidy appearance, yet Takeda's annoyed face was mixed with genuine concern. 

"I have already made an arrangement with the school regarding my frequent absences. As long as I keep up with my school work, I can come and go as I please." 

Takeda's nose scrunched up in distaste. "I don't even think you realize how stuck up you sound. How old are you anyway? You sound like the rich old guys who fund this place." Ryunosuke frowned, sending a small glare at Takeda who snickered. "I'm guessing pretty damn old." 

Takeda was still snickering as they descended to the first floor of the building. The school was divided into an east wing and west wing with a connecting walkway on the south end, forming a u-shape from an aerial view. The third-year classes occupied the west wing's second floor. A line of cherry trees led from the gate of the school to the connecting walkway where the school's shoe lockers resided. 

Ryunosuke could imagine how gorgeous it probably was at the beginning of the school year with the cherry trees in bloom and their petals raining down in a gentle flurry. Now as winter approached, the trees had turned into a path lined with various orange and reds. 

Takeda hadn't stopped by the classroom to pick up his school bag. As it was his first day, Ryunosuke had not purchased his books, so he had nothing to really bring, Takeda, in contrast, most likely didn't care. He didn't seem like he was much for school. As he waited for Takeda to put on his street shoes, Ryunosuke watched the trees sway in the wind, the orange-tinted sunlight, streaming through the glass entrance that took up the entire wall. 

"Leaving already?" Takeda nearly jumped out of his skin when the voice had spoken up from behind them. Ryunosuke, however, turned much more leisurely. 

The class representative Mori, Satoshi stood with his hands in his pockets staring at Ryunosuke with a disinterested expression, but his gaze was focused on him with an unusual amount of attention. 

Ryunosuke smiled politely. "Yes, I already notified the principal about my early dismissals for my job." 

Mori didn't respond to him instead looking at Takeda. "What's your excuse?"

Takeda smiled guiltily. "Can you not tell Baa-chan? Just this once?" 

Mori gave a half shrug. "It's none of my business if you leave or not," his eyes shot over to Ryunosuke, "Only him." Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered, "Being class rep is a pain."

Takeda grinned. "Then stop being so good at it," he threw in teasingly. 

Mori snorted, the beginnings of a smile twitching on his lips. "Give my regards to Saigo-san." 

"I will." 

Mori shot another look towards Ryunosuke, bowing his head just slightly. "Himura-san." 

"Mori-san," the vampire responded. 

Despite saying their goodbyes, Mori watched them leave, his eyes never leaving him. 

"I wonder what's up with him," Takeda said, thinking out loud. "He's  never actually done his job seriously as long as I've known him." 

Ryunosuke didn't answer, instead pulling out his cellphone. When they reached the gate, Takeda was turning left when Ryunosuke grabbed his arm. "We'll take my car." 

Takeda growled at the rough treatment, yanking his arm away. "What car?" Just as he asked the question, a limo pulled up. Kaito's eyes went wide, lighting up. "We're taking this?" 

Ryunosuke just raised an eyebrow, opening the car door. "After you." 

Takeda's eyes shifted, signaling his hesitance to get into the vehicle. It seemed he wasn't completely airheaded, thinking of the consequences of getting into a stranger's car, especially one as dangerous as Ryunosuke. However, there was a glint of eagerness in his eyes, and that part of Takeda appeared to win over his doubts, getting in. Ryunosuke slid in after him. 

"Master, are you okay? You called sooner than I expected."

"I'm fine, Mitsuhide," Ryunosuke said, watching Takeda observe his surroundings including his driver. 

Mitsuhide had the face of a man in his early twenties, his hair styled as a young businessman would. There were no traits that would have set him apart from a member of normal Japanese society except for the scar over his left eye, starting from the hairline from the center of his forehead to his ear. His left eye was closed, showing that the injury hadn't missed his eye and was most likely damaged or lost. 

"Take us to the hospital." 

"Hospital?" Mitsuhide's right eye glanced at Takeda with a curious gaze. 

"Sure thing, young master." 

Not even five minutes had passed before Takeda was constantly fidgeting, shifting in his seat and shaking his leg. If it was a normal person, it would be out of anxiety, but Takeda's constant glancing at the buttons, the juice bar, and the driver gave away how excited he was, like a child wanting to explore. 

"Haven't you been in a limo before?" 

Takeda's face flushed at being caught. "It's not like everyone is born rich, bastard." 

"It's a safe bet with the high tuition, and I highly doubt you're in on scholarship." 

Glaring, Takeda leaned forward to play with the buttons, after all, testing each and every one to Ryunosuke's annoyance. "Well, I'm not. Neither is Daisuke, and we aren't exactly popular. Akira has money, but he would rather chew off his arm than use it. The most he lets us use is the private car, but it's still just a car. Not any different than getting a ride from Baa-chan." 

"I have a hard time believing you're unpopular, Takeda-kun. I've only just met you, and you seem like a nice boy. I'm sure you're more popular than you think," Mitsuhide chimed in. 

Shock overtook Takeda's features followed by disbelief. "Really?" Adjusting himself, he scooted closer to the divider, resting his arms on the opening. "You must not have met many people." 

Mitsuhide chuckled. "On the contrary, I have met many people throughout my lifetime. Himura-sama especially has some, shall we say, very unique acquaintances." 

"Huh," Takeda replied thoughtfully. He was looking at Mitsuhide like he was a rare creature, giving him all of his attention. “What's it like working for such an asshole anyway?" 

"Well," Mitsuhide's voice dropped into a stage whisper, taking his eyes off the winding mountain road. "Not as bad as you probably think. If you don't consider his temper... or that time he used me as a hostage... or the time he used me as bait... or the time," Mitsuhide was cut off by a wine glass shattering next to his head against the windshield, causing both Mitsuhide and Takeda to duck and protect their eyes. More amazingly, Mitsuhide hadn't even jerked the wheel at the sudden attack, merely leaning forward and wiping off the broken glass from the dashboard. 

Takeda turned, glaring holes at Ryunosuke who didn't have a single hair out of place. "Are you crazy! You could have killed us!" 

"Don't worry, Takeda-kun. A little thing like that wouldn't distract me," he laughed as if it was just a small prank. "Besides, I get my revenge during our sparring matches." 

"Sparring matches?"

* * *

 

Kaito took a liking to Mitsuhide. He was funny, light-hearted, and interesting. During their conversation, Mitsuhide had told him of his rather impressive weapons collection, ranging from medieval European swords to modern guns, as well as the different martial art styles he had picked up in his travels. There was plenty of time to go into detail about the topic. While there was a clinic in Hakuei, Daisuke had been sent to the hospital on the other side of the island. 

Located on this side of the island was the tourist spots. A coastal city with shiny, new buildings, brand named stores and hotels, and sandy beaches, it was where Hakuei made most of its revenue minus the school. Most locals only traveled to this side for business. Likewise, very few tourists wandered into the smaller city on the other side. It was an hour drive between the two, which allowed Kaito plenty of time for his questions. However, the moment the car came to a stop in front of the hospital, Kaito bolted from the car, not bothering to even close the door in his haste, heading inside. Ryunosuke followed at a slower pace, not that Kaito cared. 

If he could lose him, the better. 

Kaito only paused long enough to ask for the patient room. The nurse smiled at him politely, but Kaito didn't miss the glance at his blond hair and the strain in her smile as the result. He never had to dress like a delinquent for people to assume he was one. With slight hesitation, as if considering whether or not he would cause trouble if she told him, she gave him Daisuke's room number. 

Used to the treatment, he just gave her a large smile, bowing fully and almost hitting his head on the service counter in his haste, thanking her. As he turned, he missed the slight blush on the nurse's face. 

Daisuke's room was near the end of the hallway in one of the private rooms. That in itself was strange since the Saigo family was on the lower end of the income spectrum, so it was understandable that Kaito assumed that perhaps he had misheard the information. That was until he saw a very familiar dog, peeking out of the doorway, staring at him with what Kaito was sure was malice.

Kaito chuckled nervously, approaching with exaggerated slowness. 

"Masayoshi," Kaito said as the dog began to growl. "We're friends, right?" Masayoshi was a large Akita. A very large Akita. He bordered on nearly 80cm tall, making it as tall as any wolf with the thickness and strength of an Akita to back it up. His pure white fur added more to his intimidating figure as Kaito more than once swore he had caught specks of blood marring it in the past. Even so, Kaito loved animals, it just seemed Masayoshi didn't share the sentiment towards him. 

Narrowing his eyes, Masayoshi disappeared into the room, and Kaito let a soft sigh, entering the room as well. 

Masayoshi had moved to the foot of Daisuke's bed, sitting straight up and at attention as if on guard duty. In the bed, Daisuke was propped up with a PSP in his hands. His head was wrapped with bandages, his left cheek was scratched up and skinned and his arm was in a sling, but overall, he was okay. Kaito released a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

Daisuke was okay. 

Daisuke wasn't aware of Kaito's presence immediately, too preoccupied with his game, so Kaito moved further into the room, sitting in the chair provided. "And here I was wondering whether I should be worried about you or pissed that you didn't come back for me." 

The sound of Kaito's voice startled Daisuke where an indecent, highpitched squeak left his throat, and Kaito's pseudo angry face morphed into a smile. "Shit, you're alive!" The blankets were tangled around Daisuke's legs as he tried to kick them off to get closer and failing. 

"Calm down, Daisuke. I'm fine," he lied. "I'm just glad you're okay." 

Pausing, Daisuke looked over Kaito carefully until he cautiously as leaned back against his pillows. "What happened last night?" he asked. The tone of Daisuke's voice was one of uncertainty. "I thought you were captured by that psycho." 

"He let me go. It was just a prank set up by Nijima," Kaito leaned back in his chair, attempting to look calm though he didn't feel like it. He couldn't let Daisuke worry unnecessarily. Daisuke was loyal, just like Akira, but more like a dog. He would try to protect Kaito without thinking. Kaito didn't know what Himura's intention was, so it was best not to get Daisuke further involved. "How are you affording this room anyway?" 

Daisuke's face turned sour as if he had just sucked a lemon. "Chairman Breeding, I think. I was a bit out of it when they brought me here, but there aren't many Americans on the island." 

That was true. Despite being a foreigner, his godmother held a lot of power and authority on the island, even over the police. It had been common since he was young. He would get in trouble, and Krista would make it all go away. He never really thought of it as strange until Daisuke continued. "Hey, Kai-kun, why are we even at that school?" 

Kaito shrugged. "It's the only high school on the island. Where else are we going to go?" 

"Yeah, but it's still one of the top schools in the country. The exam to get in is ridiculously hard and the tuition alone is enough to keep the town going. Akira's smart, so I know why he's there despite causing problems, but me and you don't make sense." 

Silence followed as Kaito thought. "What brought this on?" he asked avoiding eye contact with his friend, staring at nothing in particular. 

"I'm sitting in a private hospital room with Masayoshi two meters away," he gestured widely with his uninjured arm. "I mean, it's cool, but it's just too weird." 

Kaito struggled to keep his face passive. He knew what Daisuke was hinting at, that both he and Daisuke were only getting by thanks to Krista, making them no different than the other elite students. No, they were worse. They had connections to the one woman who could change the rules on the island, even bypassing the exam, reducing tuition, and eliminating their extensive records when she saw fit. "Krista does what she wants. It's not like I can tell her to stop." 

"I know that." Daisuke looked down at his bedsheets, rubbing his injured shoulder. "Sorry. It's not my place to bring it up." 

"No, I like your honesty. You, Akira, and Nijima's group are probably the only ones who don't talk your way around things or ignore them." 

"Yeah, well we aren't exactly model Japanese citizens either." Daisuke shot him a small smile which Kaito returned, easing the tension that had formed during the conversation. 

Eager to talk about something else, Kaito looked over to Masayoshi who was still at attention. "What do you feed that thing? I swear it got bigger since the last time I saw it." Daisuke watched Masayoshi as well, tilting his head slightly to the left. 

"No... he's still the same size... I think." 

Masayoshi had started following Daisuke about a year ago one night when Daisuke almost drowned in the river after stumbling in when walking home drunk. It had been a cold night and the shock of the cold water had made him inhale the water. Daisuke wasn't sure of the specifics, but he was told Masayoshi had pulled him out and brought someone to give him CPR. 

Afterward, Masayoshi kept following Daisuke. 

Being obviously trained, Daisuke had asked around, but not one person came forward to claim him. The dog also didn't eat dog food. In fact, Daisuke had no clue what he ate. Masayoshi would disappear occasionally and come back as if nothing happened. Since he didn't lose or gain weight, they both assumed he ate during the times he was missing. 

"He still gives me the creeps," Kaito muttered under his breath. A strange sound that came from Masayoshi had Kaito wiping his head around to look. Did Masayoshi just laugh at him? 

"You're overthinking. He just looks intimidating." Daisuke assured, defending Masayoshi as always. 

"Bullshit." 

Suddenly, Masayoshi was on his feet, growling at the door and bearing his large, sharp, pure white teeth, his tail raised and stiff, and body lowered and ready for an attack. The reaction was so unexpected, Kaito jumped out of his chair and backed away in fear out of instinct, but he wasn't the target of the dog's malice this time. 

Himura walked through the door only a few seconds later. Daisuke reaction was quite similar to Kaito's except it was to who had walked through the door. "What the hell?! What is he doing here?!" 

Himura didn't pay the humans any mind, instead staring at the dog. His expression was hard to read. It was blank, but there was something else too. Not fear or annoyance. More like wariness. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," Himura said in a tone that resembled annoyance. While it seemed like he was talking to Daisuke, his eyes were still on Masayoshi. 

"Bastard, I should kick your ass for what you did to us last night! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Daisuke was beginning to go on the offensive when Kaito pushed him back down on the bed. 

"Calm down, I invited him. He just gave me a ride. He wanted to apologize." 

Himura broke eye contact with the dog to look over at them with a raised eyebrow that left no translation to what he was thinking. I did? "Right,” he drawled, not putting any effort in being convincing “As nice as this all is," Himura easily brushed off Kaito's assurances, "We need to go. I'm late for my job." 

"Great, go ahead and leave then." Kaito was already sitting back down when the hair on the back of Kaito's neck began to rise. 

"If you don't mind, Saigo-san, I would like to borrow Takeda-san. He promised to help me with my job earlier in exchange for a ride." It sounded polite, but there was something underneath it that sounded like a threat. They were located towards the back of the hospital, and it was rather isolated. If Himura decided to cause havoc, no one would be able to come in time. 

"He's right. Totally forgot." Kaito grinned goofily at his friend, punching his good shoulder. "Don't hit on the nurses too much. I know you have a thing for them." 

There was still suspicion written over Daisuke's face, but the last comment caused the teen to blush with embarrassment. 

“You promised never to bring that up," he whispered harshly. "And that was two years ago."

"Ah, that's right. You're into the artificial girlfriend games now." 

"Th-there is nothing wrong with a guy my age playing those games!" 

Successful in distracting his friend, Kaito waved, backing out of the room, promising gifts with his next visit. Daisuke was easy to distract thankfully. If it had been Akira, there would have been no escape to his questioning. 

Sulking, Kaito followed behind Himura reluctantly, shoving his hands into his pocket with more force than necessary. He walked slowly to annoy Himura; he didn't expect Himura to take him by the elbow and force him to walk faster. Out of pure stubbornness, Kaito leaned back and tried to dig his heels, but he might as well have been on wheels by how easily Himura pulled him along. 

"Dammit, that hurts!" he complained. Himura didn't seem to care, so giving in, Kaito walked the pace Himura was setting. "What's the rush anyway?" 

"As I said before, I am late for my job." 

"I thought you were kidding." Kaito tried to feign disinterest but he was quite surprised. "Why does a rich guy like you need a job anyway?" 

"Relieves the boredom," he replied dryly. Kaito wasn't sure if he was kidding or not but given what he knew about the guy so far, it was probably not a joke. "The studio is just a few blocks away." 

He released Kaito, allowing him to walk ahead as they exited the hospital. Since Kaito was leading, he did not see Himura looking up towards Daisuke's hospital room, watching the raven, which had been perched in the tree across from the window, taking flight.  


	5. Twilight

A man removed his latex gloves, examining the corpse on the table one last time with his gaze. He was on the shorter end with wild, gold-brown hair, that looked like it hadn't been washed or even combed in years, with eyes to match.

He was handsome in a classical sense, with sharp cheekbones and a strong chin, but his attractiveness was hidden under his sloppy appearance. His clothes were a tad too big for his frame, his lab coat was stained with splotches of blood, and his thin-rimmed glasses kept sliding off his face. His glasses were out of place more often than not. He had stopped trying to correct their placing, too engrossed in his work to even remember they were there.

The man on the examination table was Japanese man with typical Japanese features, dark hair and eyes, a bit taller than average, and tanned from sun exposure. He had also been in good shape, lean with well-defined muscle tone. The body was littered in scars, some caused by knife wounds, others by what looked to be claw marks. The most prominent injury that was clearly visible was a large hole in the center of the chest, but that wasn't what had killed him.

"It took longer than I expected, but as you can see, I found him, as promised," the examiner said. His voice was low and had only a hint of an accent.

"Thank you, Florian-sama. My master will be very pleased with your hard work." The young man who had spoken bowed.

The young man couldn't be older than twenty. He was average with a type of face that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. He wasn't unpleasant to look at or handsome; just average. The only thing that you could tell about him was that he was Asian. Florian could not even tell if he was Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. The young man spoke all three languages flawlessly even knowing several dialects in each language.

Sometimes he wore glasses. Sometimes he came in dressed as a host. Other times, he wore a school uniform. His appearance was constantly changing. All that was certain was that he worked for a specific individual.

"I am surprised you were able to find his body."

"There are few that I cannot find." Now that the body had been confirmed, Florian zipped up the body bag.

"Speaking of finding people, I met his son by chance at my workplace.

He's quite difficult to approach."

"Oh?" he said with rising interest. "Did you get his records?"

"Of course," the young man handed the folder over with both hands which Florian accepted. "I also included the file of my master's plans for this body."

"Good work, Yuki. I expect an updated report on where your master's new base is as well as the rest of the files."

"Yes, Florian-sama. I am working on that as we speak." Yuki produced a thick envelope from the inside of his suit. "You're money."

Florian took the envelope, tossing it onto the tray where the autopsy tools were laid out without checking inside.

"Florian-sama, if I may, is it possible to receive two corpses for myself?"

Florian, who had a perpetual scowl etched onto his face, glared at the young man. "You know the rules. Only one body at a time, as long as they have a permit. If you want a new body, I need evidence of its destruction and another permit from the council. The council is already buzzing in my ear because of the robberies."

"Robberies?" Yuki asked. "Immortals?"

"No, human," Florian said quietly, seething with anger. "Walking into my morgue and touching my corpses,” he murmured.

Florian was just like his corpses. He didn't seem to emote well on the outside, always cold, whether filled with anger or happiness, and preferring the company of the dead to the living. Florian disposed of the gloves he had removed in a medical waste bin.

"I see you are busy Florian-sama. Excuse my intrusion."

Yuki picked up the body, tossing it over his shoulder when Florian called out, barely raising his voice. "Don't let that master of yours kill you, Yuki. You are only human."

Yuki turned towards him, watching Florian pull out another body from the refrigerator. As he unzipped the bag, light slipped into Florian's curious eyes, his face softening as he contained a small smile. Florian was already gone in his own world. "Yes, Florian-sama."

* * *

"Alright, listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Don't speak, don't act stupid, don't touch anything, or it's my ass on the line which in turn will become your ass. Got it?"

"Or I could leave and save us both the trouble," Kaito rolled his eyes.

Himura glared and repeated himself again. "Did you get it, moron," he said very slowly.

"Were you always such a bastard?"

"Were you always such an idiot?"

Kaito clenched his jaw. Arguing with a supernatural and probably ancient being was not a good idea. While he understood that theoretically, he could not help but push anyway. "Great comeback; and here I thought you had a better vocabulary than a five-year-old."

"If I used more difficult words, you wouldn't understand, so what's the point?" Himura retorted without missing a beat, leaving Kaito fuming.

"You weren't such a jerk in class," Kaito grumbled.

"And I didn't know that you whined so much," Himura smirked at him which only made Kaito fume more. "Let's head inside."

The building was a warehouse, two floors with very few windows, near the edge of the business district. The building was new with no other distinguishing features to set it apart. It only had a small sign on the side written in English letters, Twilight.

"Hey, isn't tha--"

"Coincidence. We're still working on the name change," Himura interrupted before Kaito could even get the question out.

That got a chuckle out of Kaito at Himura's obvious embarrassment over the name. In a slightly better mood after being dragged along, they both entered the building.

The inside was pure white, both walls and floors. There was a skylight, casting some light from above, but most of the light inside was from the giant floodlights in the corner facing a white backdrop that had only a black chair in the center.

"What exactly is your job?"

Himura only shot him a smug smirk in response.

"Ryu-chan! There you are!" There was a blur, followed by a wind. By the time Kaito blinked, there was a woman.

She only came up to Himura's shoulder even with four-inch stiletto heels. Her skin was caramel and her hair was in dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail with a thick cloth band. She was thin and lean like a model, but the image was ruined by the way she was hanging on Himura's arm.

"You are late. Soon, Dior will be here. I have nice outfit for you today." She had a very thick accent and her Japanese was very formal and stilted.

"You learned Japanese?" Himura asked, his personality switching to that polite gentleman façade on a dime.

"Only for you," she batted her eyelashes at him. "Come. I get you dressed."

"Of course." He even gave her a small, gentle smile. Then, in his normal voice said, "Takeda, remember what I said."

"'Remember what I said,'" Kaito mocked in a high voice, sticking out his tongue at Himura like a child. The guy was such a jerk. Why did he even bring him here?

With nothing else to do, it did give Kaito a chance to look around. With the lights and cameras, Kaito was guessing it was some sort of fashion shoot. The thought made Kaito laugh. Figures the bastard would be a model. It explained so much about his personality.

Putting that aside, there were a lot of foreigners running about. Even if the island was quite diverse for an island belonging to Japan, it only made up about 10 percent of the population and most of the foreigners were students or had been on the island for two or three generations. So seeing a room full of foreigners was a little weird, and they didn't seem like tourists. There were only two Asian looking workers. One who stood by the door, brawny and in a tacky suit reminding Kaito of the yakuza. The other was a chef, arranging food on a very small circular table in the corner.

Left alone, Kaito looked for a corner to hide himself in. He didn't like the feeling of being out of place, and as he stood there, being in everyone's way as they yelled at each other in a mixture of foreign languages around him, the feeling of isolation began to surround him.

What was he still doing here? Himura wasn't here to stop him from leaving. He could walk right out. Yet he didn't.

Instead, he found himself by the buffet table, the only part of the large area that wasn't crowded and bustling. The buffet was a typical buffet, which was covered with foods popular with foreigners. Sushi was the main item. Expensive sushi at that. Something Kaito could never afford on his small allowance. There was also gyoza, dango, onigiri, toriyaki, and small finger sandwiches.

With nothing else to do, and having not eaten lunch yet, Kaito took a plate and piled on the sushi. If it turned out he had to pay, he'd blame it on Himura.

He was working on clearing his plate when the front doors slammed open. Instant quiet fell over the room.

It was a woman who entered. The most beautiful woman Kaito had ever seen. She was extremely tall, taller than Kaito in her six-inch heels. She was also extremely slender. Her skin was a creamy white, and her blond hair was in a strict bun, not a hair out of place. Her clothes matched her model appearance, wearing a designer dress that showed off her curves and a designer handbag and sunglasses to match.

Without a care, she dropped her bag into someone's hands not even looking to see who it was. She was an image of an angel...until she opened her mouth. "Why isn't everything ready?! My model should have been ready ages ago," she yelled in Japanese. It wasn't the words itself that shocked Kaito, it was nearly flawless, but the speech she used was extremely masculine, using the male version of “I” rather than the feminine.

"He's getting ready as we speak, Madam Dior," someone said. Kaito couldn't quite pick out who had spoken as there were many attendants fawning over the woman. The woman clearly bristled, removing her sunglasses to reveal enchanting purple eyes. Then their eyes met.

Kaito found himself flustered, trying to look away, but it was too late. She started heading his direction.

He fumbled with his plate, looking for a place to put it down or throw away, but there was no place to put it. He was unable to come to a solution by the time she had stopped in front of him, forcing him to just hold it.

She just stared at him intently, not saying a word. It was the first time in Kaito's life that he ever received so much attention from such a beautiful woman. Then she started circling him like a shark, muttering to herself.

"Strong, lean, well proportioned," she murmured.

"Can I help you?"

The woman stopped abruptly then grabbed his shoulders, yanking him forward to make him look her in the eyes. "What's your name?" she demanded.

Her rudeness snapped him out of his trance, and he pulled out of her grip which was stronger than he had expected. "It's rude to demand my name without offering yours first."

She looked taken back at first then she laughed. "Right, Japanese customs. My name is Dior. I'm the main photographer of Twilight."

"Photographer? Not model?"

"I can see how you can make that mistake." She grabbed his jaw with one hand and pulled him close once more. "However, if you confuse me for a model again, I'll kill you, got that?"

Kaito nodded to the best of his abilities. It was enough to satisfy the woman, and she released him. "Good." She took a deep breath then her eyes widened to comic proportions. "You're human."

"Yeah, what else would I be? A vampire?" He meant to go for joking, and since vampires had been on his mind all day, it was the first thing that popped into his head.

Dior had a mischievous smile aimed right at him. Her purple eyes glinted the same way Himura's did, with hunger and power.

"You did. You thought I was..." Kaito trailed off.

"You must be Ryu's pet, though he didn't seem to tell you much." Dior looked him over again, but this time with hunger in her eyes as if Kaito was a slab of Kobe beef. "This modeling agency is made up of vampires. Everyone here walks on the darker side of life. The food here is just for show in case some human comes through. So, you see, it is a bit of a surprise."

Kaito took a step back, but there wasn't any place he could run. Now that Dior had mentioned it, he could see the hidden looks of the staff watching him in the corner of their eyes with the same hungry look.

"Don't worry. No one will touch you. Not in this town anyway. More importantly," Dior was once again in his personal space. "Why won't you become a model for me? I normally don't take pictures of humans, but you're nearly perfect. I'd be a fool to let you walk by me." "Me?" his voice broke.

"Dior, leave him alone. You know your husband won't be happy if you get involved with humans."

Dior took a step back from Kaito, crossing her arms in annoyance. Himura had reemerged and he was completely different than before he was dragged away.

Rather than being perfectly groomed with an image of a clean-cut elite, he was dressed like a rock star. He wore tight leather pants that were too low on his hips with a studded belt and a tight black sleeveless shirt that showed off a defined 6-pack underneath. He wore matching leather fingerless gloves and extensions that lengthened his hair to his shoulders. The chain he wore was silver, giving a bit of accent to the essentially all black outfit.

Kaito found himself staring. Dior was beautiful, but Himura was...gorgeous? Wait gorgeous?

Appalled by his own thinking, Kaito looked away, trying to squash his last thought.

Dior didn't appear to share Kaito's sentiment on the ensemble, her face contorting into rage. "Wrong! Lianna! What did you do to him! I said I wanted delinquent. Does this look like a delinquent to you!" she shouted.

Lianna, who had been standing behind Himura popped out with a slightly terrified expression. "Um...no?" There was confusion written on the girl's face, probably not understanding the rapid-fire Japanese being shouted at her.

"Useless," Dior grumbled, not even caring to switch to a language the girl could understand, leaving Himura to subtlety translate into French.

Kaito was considering looking for an escape when he was grabbed by the collar and yanked in front of Dior. "Take a look at him. This is what a delinquent is supposed to look like. Rough, but tasteful. This kid looks like he could beat you into the pavement and then proceed to walk down the runway."

Enough was enough. Being manhandled all day was really grating on his nerves, and he decided enough was enough.

"I have a name, you know!" He swatted her hand away, forcing her to release him. "It's Takeda, Kaito."

"And the attitude is absolutely perfect," Dior praised. She looked absolutely delighted. "Take notes, Ryu. Kaito's attitude is just what I'm looking for."

All the attention was making Kaito uncomfortable, and he could feel everyone nearby was watching the exchange with mild interest. The eyes that held the most weight was Himura's. His gaze was just as intense as always. "I'm sure it won't be too hard to mimic a moron."

"You can go screw yourself, bastard," Kaito growled.

Himura turned, following Lianna back to the changing area as he said, "I have people to do that for me." He tossed a smug smirk over his shoulder and added, "Do you?"

Flustered and completely at a loss what to say, all he could think to say was, "Who told?!" but that would only confirm what Himura had said.

Dior watched Kaito with a mildly surprised look on her face.

"What?!" he asked impatiently, turning his frustrations on her. Seriously, he was starting to feel like a sideshow with all the staring, and Dior was looking at him with blatant curiosity.

"How long have you known Ryu?"

"Um, a couple hours I guess."

"I see," her eyes were laughing at some joke he wasn't aware of, but Kaito wasn't about to ask.

The air was tense around the attendants surrounding Dior, who stood quietly throughout the entire exchange. They were like they were servants walking on eggshells around their master. The only one who had acted normal was Himura.

Kaito's knowledge on vampires was limited, but there was something about Dior that just seemed old. It was different than the aura Himura emitted.

Himura had an aura that was suppressing, that made one feel the weight of his power the same way one would flex their muscles to show off their strength. Himura demanded respect just from the way he looked at people. He was like a knight, brandishing his sword to make people understand he was not one to be messed with.

Dior seemed beyond that. Her aura was subtler, like a wind's whisper. It was the little things. The way she stood with authority. The way she addressed other people. The way she looked at them. She was more like a monarch who didn't have to show off her power because everyone knew she had it. How old was she?

"Alright! I expect everything to be ready in five minutes. Any longer and I'll give you to my husband as his new toy."

Kaito thought they were moving fast before, but the speed nearly doubled, some becoming a blur to his eyes.

"When you officially become one of us, look me up, Kaito. I'll make you one of my models in a heartbeat." With a wink, she departed with another assistant rushing to accompany her.

The shoot wasn't too bad. It took about three hours, and it went by rather quickly. Since Kaito was one of the only three humans in the building, he was the only one really eating the food at the small buffet.

The chef was pleasantly surprised someone was actually eating his food. The chef was timid and soft-spoken, and obviously unaware who he was working for, confused as to why they never touched his food. The chef had been a bit wary of him due to his appearance but brightened up the moment he realized Kaito was actually Japanese and could speak his native tongue.

After talking for a while, Kaito found out he was just an apprentice chef and that he was a student at his school, from class 3-B, which explained why he had never seen the chef before.

The chef, however, had heard of him and was shocked when Kaito finally introduced himself. Just like the others, he shrank away once he heard the name, finding an excuse to leave.

Ignoring the pain, Kaito continued smiling brightly at the chef, telling him to take care.

He should have lied about his name. Once he knew that the chef had been a native of the island, he should have just made something up.

"Do you normally look so depressed when no one's looking?"

Kaito had not even realized his smile had dropped when the chef had left. He thought he had done a better job hiding his feelings. "What? You going to mock me or something?" There was some bitterness in Kaito's tone.

"Everyone has problems they don't want to share."

Kaito looked up. Himura had changed back into his school uniform, so the shoot must have ended while he was still lost in his thoughts. Still, Kaito was grateful Himura understood and didn't pry or mock him.

"Thanks."

"I'll take you home."

"It's the least you can do for kidnapping me, bastard." Kaito couldn't help the snide remark, but there wasn't any feeling behind it.

Himura didn't disappoint, responding, "If I recall, you got into my car of your own free will."

They were already into a rhythm of banter. It was a seamless transition, lifting him from his despair into annoyance, but it was also kind of fun. Akira was the silent type, and Kaito never argued with Daisuke. Nijima argued with him, but they were intentionally trying to hurt each other. Knowing what Himura was, he would forget for just a moment and focus just on their banter. "Like you would have really given me a choice."

Himura smirked at him not bothering to deny it when Mitsuhide came running up with a cell phone in his hand. "Um, young master… you… you have a phone call."

"Tell them I'll call them back tomorrow. I'm not in the mood." Himura had his back towards Mitsuhide, so he hadn't seen the way the butler trembled or how fearful his eyes were.

"Sir...It's Takeshi-sama."

"Take...shi?" Kaito repeated slowly, not recognizing the name. There were one or two people on the island with that name, but he didn't think either of them knew Himura. "Who's Takeshi-san?"

He turned to Himura expecting an answer. He had been forthcoming with all his questions so far, so he didn't think it was too much of a stretch to ask, but the question got lost in his throat.

Himura looked murderous. "Hand it over." His voice froze the blood in Kaito's veins, and he wasn't the one it was aimed at. Mitsuhide gave him the phone, immediately backing away. Kaito went to Mitsuhide's side, taking the butler's retreat as a sign he should too.

"What?" Himura asked in a sharp tone. He didn't raise his voice, but it had the same impact as if he had.

There was silence for a good five seconds. The tension that built in that short time made it feel much longer. Himura's face didn't react to whatever was being said on the other side. The sound of creaking was the only warning before the phone was crushed in his hand with little effort all, snapping in half.

"Hey, are you alright? Who's Takeshi?" He had only meant to help, to repay Himura for bringing him out of his negative thoughts earlier.

Instead, he received a glare. "Keep your nose out of my business," came the cold reply.

Kaito tried to glare back; it's effectiveness nowhere near Himura's level. "I was just trying to help, bastard. No need to bite my head off for it." "Mitsuhide, get him out of here. I won't be responsible if I end up killing him." The flat-out dismissal made Kaito feel he had been cast aside the moment Himura was done with him, and surprisingly, it hurt more than it should of. For a moment, he thought perhaps Himura wasn't that bad.

"Come on, Takeda-kun. I'll drive you home." Mitsuhide pulled at his arm, urging him to follow.

"You know what, I don't care. I hope you and your undead soul burns in the afterlife."

There was a stir of emotion from Kaito's undead comment, Kaito barely noticed as he stormed out. Perhaps if he was focusing, he might have seen how Himura might have been offended by the comment. His kind tended to become short-tempered when the word undead was used. The comment was nothing compared to the haunting message that was left to him over the phone. The soft, dead voice that had spoken still echoed in his head. He had thought he had been paranoid at the hospital that the raven was just a coincidence, but it had belonged to him after all. Takeshi. The message:

_Welcome home, Ryunosuke._

* * *

Kaito remained furious the entire ride home. He understood that it was stupid. They weren't friends. They weren't even acquaintances. To hold a grudge against something so petty was a waste of energy and time. He never was one to always adhere to logic though, so he let it stew for the hour, staring out at the passing scenery.

They returned to town just after sunset.

There wasn't much housing in the town. Many of the native families who lived on the island had estates scattered around the island. Very few families actually lived in town. Out of everyone in school, only him and Daisuke didn't live in the extravagant dorms or go home to a mansion. Everyone who did live in town made an honest and decent living. There was little to no crime and tourists never left the area on the other side of the island.

The town's only bar sat on the corner of the wharf, a popular place for weary fisherman and shop owners after a long day. It was still early so there wouldn't be many people there yet. "Hey, Mitsuhide-san, could you let me out here?"

The limo rolled to a stop just outside the bar. "Are you sure, Kaitokun?" Mitsuhide looked out the side window with skepticism. "The streets are a bit dark around here, and all I see worth noting is a bar."

"I'll be fine. This is my hometown after all." Kaito was already getting out. "Thanks for everything, Mitsuhide-san."

"I am sorry for my master's behavior," the driver looked genuinely apologetic.“I should have warned you.”

"It's not your fault. See you around, Mitsuhide-san." He sent the driver off with a smile to ease Mitsuhide's worry. He was a good man, too good to be working for such a jerk.

Kaito kept waving until the car was out of sight, and his smile fell, being replaced with melancholy.

Just a couple drinks. The bar owner was nice enough to give him drinks at a discounted price despite being underage. As long as he stopped by to clean up his bar in the morning for free, the owner didn't care. It wasn't out of pity; the owner just liked the free labor. Being in such a small time wasn't profitable even if he had no competition.

Kaito was looking forward to a few drinks. Goro was gone on a trip promoting his new book. Daisuke was in the hospital, and since it was Friday, Akira would be unavailable, and Krista would kill him for ditching today. His birthday would come to an end in a few hours.

If he had to thank Himura for one thing, it was for distracting him for most of the day. Now he could just drown out the rest of it with alcohol.

Someone grabbed onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Kaito sighed, groaning on the inside at his luck. Why today of all days?

"Hey buddy, my friends and I saw you get out of that nice car just a moment ago. We were wondering if you would share some of that cash with the less fortunate."

The smell of alcohol laced the man's breath, causing Kaito to turn his head. There were three men all together who had stopped him. Kaito had never seen any of them before, and by the way they were dressed, they were probably big city delinquents.

It was a first, seeing them here. Their leader looked to be in his midthirties, unshaven with thick sideburns that were way out of style. He was the one who had grabbed him. They probably thought people from a small town wouldn't put up much of a fight.

"Sorry, but it wasn't my car. Try asking someone else." Kaito tried to take the high road and walk away, but the boss of the three delinquents didn't get that, tightening his grip on Kaito's arm.

"We aren't stupid, kid. We ain't asking; we're telling. Hand over the cash." The two men pulled out knives, and the one holding Kaito pulled out a gun.

A gun? It was the first time Kaito had ever laid eyes on one, but where did such low-lives get them from. Were they yakuza?

"Look, he's trembling," the man laughed, holding the gun to Kaito's head. "If you know what's good for yah, hand over the cash, and we'll let you go home without a scratch."

It started as a chuckle that grew in volume, blossoming into a laugh. The delinquents looked at each other with uncertainty, wondering if they had just held up someone mentally unstable, but Kaito couldn't help himself.

How was it that his life was in danger a second day in a row? And comparatively a room full of vampires was way scarier than a gun. "What's your name?" Kaito asked through his fit of laughter.

"Kuro. What's it to ya?”

"You caught me in an awfully bad mood today, Kuro-san. Don't take this personally; just chalk it up to bad luck for running into me today." Kaito jabbed the man in the solar plexus with his elbow while simultaneously grabbing the gun at his head and twisting it out of the man's hold until it dropped into his free hand. Both of Kuro's friends charged, knives drawn.

Kaito dodged the first one and pulled Kuro into the path of the second henchman, making the second man hesitate else risk stabbing his leader. Pulling the trigger, he shot at the second henchman's foot, the shot connecting. The second henchman screamed in pain, dropping to the ground to nurse his wounded foot.

Kaito rounded on his left foot, kicking the stomach of the first henchman with his right, and then jumping to kick with his left when the first henchman curled over. The second kick made contact with the man's face, sending the man to the ground.

Kaito's assault didn't end there. Sidestepping the punch aimed at his head from behind, courtesy of Kuro-san, Kaito grabbed the arm and threw Kuro over his shoulder onto the ground. Kuro flew into an alley, rolling into a stack of trash bags and recyclables.

"Since you guys had a gun, I expected more than that," Kaito sighed with disappointment. "Really, I was hoping for a challenge."

"Who the hell are you?" Kuro asked, rolling onto his stomach.

"Name's Takeda, Kaito. You should take your friend to the clinic."

Kaito waved the revolver still in his hand. "I'll get rid of this thing for you."

That was supposed to be the end. He wasn't cruel enough to pick on someone while they were down. He would get rid of the gun before the police found out about it and move on. He wasn't supposed to give them a second thought.

"I've heard of that name. You're that monster kid, right? The one who killed his father?"

Kaito's feet were glued into place.

"We've only been here for a couple days, but the first thing we heard was not to mess with you. I'll be honest; I thought you'd be scarier." Kaito's hand tightened around the gun.

"I heard you killed your old man. In fact, I heard your old man was quite a murderer too. Like father, like son, right? You monst-" Kuro's air was cut off by a hand wrapped around his throat. With Kaito's strength, Kuro was pulled out of the trash and onto his feet. Kuro clawed at the hand, digging into Kaito's flesh, eyes wide with fear because Kaito no longer looked human.

His pupils, no longer blue, had turned golden. His nails had grown in length and sharpness, resembling claws more than human nails, and he showed off his sharp canines with his sadistic grin that darkened his features. "If you admire him so much, why don't you say hi to him in hell?" His voice was not his own. It was deeper, rougher, with a hint of dark laughter lacing his tone.

"P-p-please, for...give...me," Kuro could only choke out a plea, and

Kaito found pleasure in that. So weak. Humans were so weak. With a smooth motion, Kaito slammed his head into the cement wall of the building so hard the cement wall gave as well as Kuro's skull.

Indeed, humans were as fragile as rice paper. Kaito dropped the body, a puddle of blood quickly forming around the head.

The threat was gone, yet the features remained.

This feeling, it was familiar. Every time he lost his temper, every time he was angry or drowning in sorrow, this feeling would take over as if someone else was holding the reigns. He took a deep breath and the smell of iron filled his nostrils.

His mouth twitched in anticipation. He's waited so long for this, for fresh blood. He got onto his knees and bent over, ready to take his first drink. His lips were less than two centimeters away when he realized what he was doing.

Scared, he jerked away, falling onto his butt and scurrying away until he slammed himself against the opposite wall, the inhuman features receding.

What had he done?

Kuro wasn't moving, and there was too much blood. He couldn't have. He didn't mean to. His stomach knotted and churned, and his breath was heavy and forced. What did he do?

**You killed him, kit. You did this.**

Kaito shook his head. His body felt numb.

_No, I-I-I didn't do this. It was you. I'm not a killer._

**Yes, you are because I am in you. Admit it. You wanted to kill him for the comment about your father.**

No. Kuro's eyes were still staring at him, unblinking, filled with fear. It wasn't me. He was dead. Kuro would never be able to go home or see his family _. No, I-I-I d-didn't...he forced me to_...  

He had killed him.

_No...No..._

"No!" Kaito jumped to his feet and ran from the ally, running as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the body behind.  


End file.
